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Critics have really slammed Zach Snyder's first original film, Sucker Punch and if I could
choose two words that could sum up this movie, it would be
nonsensical and visual. However there is a part of me that
actually enjoyed this rollercoaster ride that had elements of The
Matrix, Inception, a video game and a music video all rolled into one surreal,
bizarre and strangely confusing film. And then you have the five sexy
women which this story revolves around, led by Australia's very own
Emily Browning as Baby Doll who would not look out of place in a strip club. With
this in mind, it's quite obvious who the target audience were when
Snyder and co sat down and penned this film.
Snyder also forces the viewer to read between the lines in Sucker Punch
as we are introduced to Baby Doll who was forced into a
Mental Asylum by her abusive step father who violently killed
her sister. From here, Snyder uses key visual moments in her
introduction by showcasing certain elements, more so items into her
escape to freedom. The most important element in the introduction is Dr.
Vera Gorski (Carla Gugino), a polish psychiatrist who uses music to help her patients
escape into their own reality.
However to compound the
situation for Baby Doll, her father pays Blue Jones, one of the
self-made directors of the institute to organise a lobotomy on his
step-daughter in order to keep her silent against the abuse he
inflicted. But before the lobotomy occurs, Baby Doll is thrust into
another reality as this institution becomes a bordello/brothel. Here,
Baby Doll becomes a more powerful character and each time she dances for
those around her, she is thrust into an even weirder reality where she
meets her spirit guide (Scott Glenn). Glenn is a walking clichéd with
some great one-liners but actually adds a level of mysticism into the
film.
In spite of this,
freedom is the key task for Baby Doll and under the tutelage of her
spirit guide, she must find 5 items and just like a video game, she sends
the calls of arms out to her fellow inmates/working girls that include
Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish), Rocket (Jena Malone), Blonde (Vanessa Hudgens)
and Amber (Jamie Chung). Add in girl-power, feminism and girls kicking
ass against dragons, knights, Nazi zombies and Samurai warriors and
Sucker Punch definitely starts to challenge your brain. One catalyst for
Baby Doll is Sweet Pea who is the "mother" of these girls and their
sense of reason. She provides a good balance to Baby Doll's innocence
and naivety. But this is where all the inconsistencies and plot holes
begin to unravel.
The problem with Sucker
Punch is that there is no real explanations as to why Baby Doll chose
these fantasy worlds and ultimately leaves it up to the viewer to find
their own explanations which did not sit too well with the majority of
critics. Even though the movie is set in the 1950's, one segment that
involves robots feels even way too outrageous for its premise that had
me scratching my head. The fantasy segments however are a true treat to watch and
these virtual environments are outstanding, especially on the IMAX
screen. With giant steam-punk like robots, bi-planes and girls with
guns, Sucker Punch is definitely a mess of ideas but it's actually an
enjoyable mess of ideas. The first scene with the giant Samurai warriors
is filled with eye candy, especially for fans of video games.
With all this CGI
revolving around the movie, the stars of Sucker
Punch, besides the effects are Emily Browning as the enigmatic Baby Doll
and Abbie Cornish as the delightful Sweet Pea who is full of emotion and
realism. These two characters are like yin and yang and actually make
you want to know more about them. Even though Sucker Punch goes off the
rails every now and then, it was truly one of the most original films
that I have seen in a long time and to hell with all the naysayers, I
enjoyed Sucker Punch from start to finish. There is even a twist at the end that can once again be
incorporated in a number of ways, just like the excellent movie Inception. |
